Can't Find It?

Request an Item

Submit a Request an Item form for items you are unable to locate in the library catalog. Submissions will be evaluated for purchase or borrowing from another library. The library is unable to purchase all suggested items. While we are unable to fulfill every request, we trust that you will enjoy the wide selection of materials available to you through your library.

Request an Item

You may request 3 items per day, and a total of 10 per month. You can request items that have already been published, or that will be published in the next six months.

Frequently Asked Questions

You can request books, DVDs, music CDs and audiobook CDs, eBooks and eAudiobooks, microfilm, and copies of articles or obituaries. Full issues of magazines and other periodicals are not requestable, though you may request multiple articles from a single issue.

You can request items that have already been published, or that will be published in the next six months.

Requested items that are not purchased will only be considered for borrowing from another library if the item was published at least 12 months ago, because most libraries will not lend out items to other libraries until a year past publication.

The library is committed to providing meaningful collections as outlined in our Collection Development Policy and Interlibrary Loan Policy.

Typically it will take 2 to 6 weeks. The timing for purchase requests and interlibrary loans depends upon the source of the item and its publication date; obscure titles can take longer to arrive.

If the item is purchased by the library, it will be placed on hold on your library account once we have ordered it, and you will be notified of the hold by email or telephone messaging (dependent upon how you have your library account set up).
- The exception to this is digital material (eBooks or eAudiobooks). As library staff are unable to reserve digital items for patrons, we will confirm with you when the item is purchased. You may then visit Washington Anytime Library to access or place a hold on the item.
If the item is obtained through interlibrary loan, it will be placed on hold on your library account after we receive it from the lending library, and you will be notified of the hold by email or telephone messaging (dependent upon how you have your library account set up).
If the item is not purchased and is unavailable through interlibrary loan, we will let you know by placing a note on your library account or, if you include your email address as your contact method, via email.

Yes. You may place up to ten (10) requests per calendar month, with a maximum of three (3) per day. Up to five (5) of the ten requests per month may be for music CDs or video DVDs. This is due to the high volume of requests received.

In order to maintain our reputation in the interlibrary loan system so that other libraries will continue to lend to us, we have additional rules regarding borrowing ILL items:

Not returning 3 ILL items in a 12-month period for any reason, including but not limited to loss, theft or damage, will result in a 12-month pause on ILL privileges. This includes items that are paid for.
Not returning 6 ILL items will result in a lifetime loss of ILL privileges.

Interlibrary loan items are not renewable. You may renew purchased items if they have not been requested by someone else. More information about borrowing and renewing library materials can be found on our Borrow Materials page.

Please see the library’s purchasing guidelines for authors and publishers if you would like your title to be considered for purchase.

If you are an author or illustrator who lives in Whatcom County, is from Whatcom County, or has a tie to Whatcom County that is evident in your work, please see the Local Author Collection page.

Ask us!